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How and why you might want to use High Speed Sync flash in the studio

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High speed sync flash is typically associated with shooting outdoors. You’re in the bright light, and you need to take your shutter past your camera’s sync speed in order to overcome the bright outdoors and bring it under control. High speed sync lets you keep using flash beyond these speeds. But there are times when you might want to use them indoors, too.

In this video, Gavin Hoey shows us why we might want to use high speed sync in the studio or other indoor settings and how to use it to get the shots we want.

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Three one-light setups using V-Flats with three very different looks

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V-Flats are one of those most underrated studio accessories, but one of the most useful and versatile. At their core, they can do two things. They can reflect or block light, and that’s pretty much it. But photography is all about light, and controlling it through reflections and blocking.

They’re particularly useful when it comes to shooting portraits as their reflective sides can produce beautiful soft light and specular reflections. And they can also help to create a lot of drama. In this video from V-Flat World, photographer John Gress shows three different ways to use V-Flats for portraits using just a single light to get three different looks.

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Here’s how to light a product with only one or two lights

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Light is one of the key elements of photography, and product photography is no exception. If you’re just starting out, it’s certainly good to learn how to work with light and get the look you want. In this video, Jay P Morgan shows you how to create simple lighting setups with just one or two lights and how to control the light so that you achieve different results.

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How to deal with tricky reflective surfaces and create stunning product photos

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When doing product shots in the studio, reflective surfaces could be very tricky to handle. But of course, there are methods to deal with them and light them to show all their beauty. In this video, Dustin Dolby of Workphlo shares a comprehensive tutorial on lighting and photographing tricky, reflective products. And what’s more, you don’t need fancy gear. Prepare simple lighting modifiers, your DIY spirit, and Photoshop.

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Understanding Light – Working with hard light

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Being able to look at an image and understand the lighting within it is not crucial to becoming a great photographer. But having the ability to look at another image you love and recognise the qualities that stand out to you will undoubtedly help you to become a better photographer far faster.

Last week we looked at how important being able to understand light can be and I also highlighted where many self-taught photographers struggle with this in today’s industry. If you missed last weeks article then I recommend you take a look to see some of the pitfalls self-taught photographers can struggle with as today’s article leads on from that.[Read More…]

Ten things a photographer wishes he’d known before he started using strobes

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When you first start using strobes, it can be exciting but also overwhelming. There’s a lot to learn and a lot of mistakes to make before you get it right. In this video from Behind the Shutter, photographer Michael Corsentino shares his experience with strobes. He talks about ten things he wishes he’d known before he started shooting with them. If you’re just starting out, this video will help you learn and avoid mistakes.

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Maximising space – A tour of our new not-huge studio

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We moved to our new studio a few months ago and we have been gradually building things as we go. This will be the first of several videos in this series where we will try and give a look at what we tried to accomplish with our studio.

Our new studio isn’t big, it is actually about the size of a mid size room (close to 40 square meters which is just over 400 square feet). It has quite low ceilings which isn’t ideal for photography in many respects but we tried to get the best out of it and it does have some advantages for what we have been doing as you will see later on.

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Shooting in a small space – a brief tour of my tiny home studio

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A lot of people seem to think I have this giant space. I do not. I actually never had more space than those 2 converted bedrooms I work in now and not so long ago I rented a small, bedroom-sized commercial space. And even before that, I used to work in my studio between my bed and desk. And going even further back, I had to sit on my bed to even be able to shoot a half body. I started working with clients in the time I had a one-room living studio space. Good times.

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How to use V-flats to create three different beauty lighting setups

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When shooting in a studio, you can use V-flats in a variety of ways. In this video, Lindsay Adler  shows you three simple setups you can create for beauty photography using V-flats. Each of them requires subtle changes in the setup, yet they’ll all give you drastically different results.

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Here’s a detailed guide to prepare you for your actor headshots

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Your actor headshots, combined with your actor showreel, are the foundations of your actor profile. They are without shadow of a doubt a key marketing tool for your acting career. It’s important to prepare yourself in order to get the most out of your session.

If you are reading this it is because you have booked or you are thinking on booking a headshots session. In this article I’ll try to answer most of the common questions that we usually receive on how to prepare for your actor headshots session.

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